Rip off Nursery Fees or perfectly reasonable?

[MommaE]

Just started my own business so need a nursery for DS3. Rang round a few and they all seem to charge the same so chose the one nearest my other DCs school.

They sent me an information pack including fee sheet (£55 per day not even nappies included but they reduce it by £1.30 when he's 2 so that'll be a saving . No mention of any additional costs at all in the pack.

Go for the tour this morning, very pleased with it. Then just as we are about to leave the manager tells us that we will need to pay a £50 administration fee and a £100 deposit which will be returned when DS leaves (er, in 3 years) providing we give them the full months notice. Oh and a month's fees in advance of £715 (no negotiation) and that's for only 3 days a week. So we will have to find £865 upfront. We will get some tax credit help but that will probably take weeks to come through and being self employed, god knows how long it will be until I actually make any money. Even if I worked for an employer, I would have to wait a month for wages anyway.

How on hell's earth can anyone afford to go back to work/work for themselves when just the startup costs are prohibitive? AIBU in thinking they are taking the piss or am I just used to being poor and this is not really all that much money?

We are in North Essex so commutable to London if you want to spend £1 billion trillion pounds a year in train fares!

Do all nurseries within a 50 mile radius of London assume we are all on 'London wages' then?

Im really interested in this thread as i have just gone full time and am dying over chilcare fees.
I pay £36 to creche for a full day (8-6), that includes 3 meals, all drinks, wipes, cream.
My childminder charges £40 a day (same hours), all meals, drinks, wipes and trips out included.

I think yours sounds very unreasonable, i understand paying fees in advance, but why a deposit and admin fee? Why do they need a deposit if youre paying in advance? It all sounds like a way to coin in some extra cash.

Meant to say we are in cardiff so large city

Sorry that's normal. Not necessarily reasonable but hey! I pay £70 a day for DD and they provide food and normal milk and I provide nappies, wipes and formula (at least used to). £80 upfront to keep a place on a waiting list and £50 refundable deposit.

When we put the DTS into nursery, it was £250 a week (four days). They wanted a week's fees up front (for a deposit) plus £100 admin fee (which I imagine covers them putting the form WE FILLED OUT into a cabinet) and then of course £250 every week thereafter.

So, £600 in a week. We had to do it all on OD as obviously I was on mat leave so not much spare cash going!

This is in Liverpool BTW so not London. And 10% discount on the second child.

It's the admin fee that fucks me off. £100 when all they do is give you a form and a contract which you complete and then take back in? What a load of bollocks. It's not even like they send references to your employers like rental agencies do.

The nurseries in my area charge £68 + a day. And wierdly it's not even that great an area - just a shortage of childcare so they can charge what they like. A new one has opened up the road where the price is a bargain £90 a day. Do they have any free registration days so at least you can avoid that other £50 charge.

The deposit etc were quite simply the reason why DD2 is at a childminders rather than nursery. DD1 attended a nursery and we paid all the usuals as mentioned here - upon leaving only £100 deposit was returned as they kept £40 towards admin - it also took 7 weeks to return!!

Second time around I was loathed to pay £40 per half day etc etc and made it my mission to find an alternative. I now have the most wonderful childminder .

So have a look around for alternatives perhaps ?

It's not normal round here! At ds's current nursery it was £25 admin fee, no deposit, one month in advance. Last one was £100 deposit, no admin fee but they let you pay weekly.
Current charges £39 a day including 3 meals, last was £48/£42 after 2yo not inc meals.
I heart current nursery!

Crikey - I knew we had it easy, but didn't realise quite how much - far oop north here too and ours is £36/day plus £1:50 for food.

Wages are, accordingly, rubbish round here too though.

£39 per day is the legal minimum they can charg btw due to some faff about government subsidies and not making profit from it.

It sounds about right IME. I'm in Hampshire and our one is £42 a day.

can you ask if you can pay the huge fee part in instalments?

I'm in herts, nurseries here are £65-80 a day! Would love to find one for £55!

£50.50 per day here in Wiltshire (8-6) Inc 3 meals and snacks. Parents provide nappies and wipes (which I prefer tbh, have heard of places where they say they use premium brands but don't etc). Think we paid £25 Administration fee, plus a deposit which we'll get back when ds leaves.

It is bloody expensive, but you've got to weigh up the pro's and con's.

Jesus, you'd have to be on some money to make £90 a day in childcare worthwhile.
I consider myself to be on a half decent wage but it wouldnt be worth me working if i had to pay that

£48 a day breakfast, lunch and tea provided plus fruit snack at 10.00.
Nappies not included.
£10 waiting list fee. One week deposit (returnable at the end) and a month in advance (which no-one ever seems to pay....)

We're in a less-than-salubrious part of North London.

Even though many nurseries provide snacks and lunch believe me many I have worked in give the children tesco value everyday value

Sorry, should have been a week in advance....

Have been looking into this recently, and where I am in Devon the going rate seems to be about £35/ day - this is what 2 of my colleagues pay at 2 different nurseries, and what the local nursery charges. I don't know what that includes, though.

£55 per day here (includes food/nappies) - Surrey.

I feel your pain. I'm also starting my own business but I'm only putting ds in for 2 half days as I just can't afford any more. I'm increasing the mortgage to release funds to pay for childcare which is probably not that sensible but I can't work without childcare.

Plus one month deposit.

Wow some of these prices are crazy. Our nursery in Glasgow charges £37.50 which includes lunch and snacks. Out of nappies now so no idea if they are included. Tbh I thought that this was quite steep as I pay my childminder (who also has him 2 days a week) a grand total of £30 a day.

Im paying £39 a day and it includes all but nappies, I only had to pay a weeks deposit. It seems to range from £39 - £55 here and I looked at them all and luckily the cheaper one was the one I liked. There seemed little difference in terms of meals etc and friends pay more and the babies dont seem to get any extra.

And they are brilliant. I so feel your pain, being self employed too. The real shitter is when they are sick and cant go in, you still have to pay and still have to work a days work.